Advertising on video event display systems

Abstract

A method of advertising for use by a Gaming Service Provider providing as set-top box in connection with a wide area network is disclosed. The set-top box functions as a customer gaming console. The method includes the steps of providing an identification from the customer gaming console to a Gaming Service Provider providing an advertisement out of a plurality of advertisements to the customer gaming console, initializing the customer gaming console for playing a game and for displaying the advertisement, playing a game on the customer gaming console, and displaying the advertisement on the customer gaming console, when the game is not being played. Alternatively, the steps of the method are not initialized by the Gaming service provider, but from the gaming console site. Further, certain games played on the gaming console incorporate advertisements into their gaming environments.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider comprising the steps of: 
 receiving an identification from a video event display system,    providing an advertisement from a plurality of advertisements to the video event display system for displaying the advertisement on the video event display system;    providing a video event to be displayed on the video event display system; and    displaying the advertisement on the video event display system while the video event is being displayed on the video event display system.    
     
     
         2 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 1 , wherein the advertisement is a static advertisement.  
     
     
         3 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 1 , wherein the advertisement is an animated advertisement.  
     
     
         4 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 1 , wherein the advertisement is displayed in a designated advertising space, the designated advertising space being selected in connection with the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         5 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 4 , wherein the designated advertising space is incorporated into the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         6 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 1 , wherein the identification received from the video event display system includes information about the video event to be displayed on the video event display system  
     
     
         7 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 6 , wherein the advertisement out of the plurality of advertisements is selected according to specifications provided by the video event to be displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         8 . A method of advertising for use by a Service Provider according to  claim 1 , wherein the video event display system comprises either one of set-top box, a gaming console, or a set-top box gaming system.  
     
     
         9 . A storage medium having stored therein data, the data for performing the steps of: 
 receiving an identification from a video event display system by a Service Provider;    providing an advertisement out of a plurality of advertisements to the video event display system for displaying the advertisement on the video event display system;    providing a video event to be displayed to the video event display system; and    displaying the advertisement on the video event display system while the video event is being displayed on the video event display system.    
     
     
         10 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 9 , wherein the advertisement is a static advertisement.  
     
     
         11 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 9 , wherein the advertisement is an animated advertisement.  
     
     
         12 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 9 , wherein the data include data for displaying the advertisement in a designated advertising space, the designated advertising space being selected in connection with the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         13 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 12 , wherein the designated advertising space is incorporated into the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         14 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 9 , wherein the identification received from the video event display system includes information about the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         15 . A storage medium having stored therein data according to  claim 14 , wherein the data include data for performing the step of selecting the advertisement out of the plurality of advertisements according to specifications provided by the video event being displayed on the video event display system.  
     
     
         16 . A system for advertising for use by a Service Provider comprising the steps of: 
 means for receiving an identification from a video event display system,    means for providing an advertisement from a plurality of advertisements to the video event display system for displaying the advertisement on the video event display system;    means for providing a video event to be displayed on the video event display system; and    means for displaying the advertisement on the video event display system while the video event is being displayed on the video event display system.